school of botanical art & illustration - Denver Botanic Gardens

ELECTIVE COURSES
Mysterious Yellows in
Watercolor
Explore and master and the
subtleties of yellow hues as
you paint fruits and flowers.
Begin with examples of how
other botanical illustrators
have handled this color.
Constance Sayas
Through demonstration and
practice, learn to create the best color mixes to convey shading
while keeping yellows bright and clean. Learn how to apply
shadow colors using both glazing and feathering techniques.
Practice the range of yellows from soft to striking. Work
toward completing a plate of a beautiful yellow botanical.
Fee: $225 member, $280 non-member. Prerequisites: Pencil
I, Color Mixing, Watercolor I, (Perspective and Light on Form
strongly recommended)
• Thu., March 28, April 4, 11, 18, 25, 6 – 9 p.m.
Instructor: Constance Sayas
Flower Studies:
Arthur Henry Church
(Microscopy course)
The revolutionary drawings
of Arthur Henry Church are
some of the finest botanical
illustrations of the 20 th
Arthur Henry Church
Century. Work with the help
of a microscope and the instructor to understand the botanical
details of your flower. Learn to master micro techniques, study the
different stages of the flower development, and create an elegant
plate in the medium of your choice illustrating the exposed internal
structures of your flower. Fee: $225 member, $280 non-member.
Prerequisites: Pencil I, Botany and the entry level course of the
medium you like to work in, (Perspective and Light on Form
strongly recommended)
• Tue., Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29, Feb. 5, 6 – 9 p.m.
Instructor: Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski
GRAPHITE
Miniature Masterpieces in Pencil
Small and special! Bring your big ideas and learn to scale
them to a small format. Learn about the importance of
miniatures in the history of art. Discover the delights and
challenges of working in diminutive dimensions. Learn how
Susan Rubin
composition, line, form and precision
are crucial conveying the message in
miniature. Instructor demonstrations,
class critique and individual attention
will help you complete several
stunning miniature works of botanical
art. Fee: $210 member, $265 nonmember.
Prerequisites: Pencil I
• Mon., Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28, Feb. 4, 9 a.m. - Noon
Instructor: Susan Rubin
Carbon Dust
Push your drawing skills into
a new realm. Carbon dust has
been a mainstay medium for
medical and scientific illustrators
for more than 75 years. Using
a combination of pencil lines
and dust “washes” applied with
brushes; this medium produces
rich, tonal renderings with the
value range of charcoal and the
precision of watercolor. You’ll
Karla Beatty
be introduced to the various
tools associated with carbon dust, including carbon pencils,
dust, brushes, blenders and fixative. Choose a subject well
suited to the technique and learn to use methodical layering to
create a flawless continuous tone. Complete the finer details
with pencil for a finished carbon-dust rendering. Fee: $210
member, $265 non-member. Prerequisites: Pencil I, (Pencil II
strongly recommended)
• Wed., Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30, Feb. 6, 1 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Karla Beatty
Randy Raak
Darkest Dark and Lightest
Light with Polycarbonate
Pencils on Film
Beautiful artwork is created
with value: the degree of light
and dark in a specific subject.
Working in “plastic” pencil,
you’ll develop pigment-free
values and master seamless
gradations from the lightest
lights to the darkest darks
without the usual graphite
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